Man arrested in Electric City burglary

ELECTRIC CITY  A local man was arrested Sunday evening on suspicion of burglary after apparently being caught on an animal camera.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office arrested Steve Kiona, 37. He is a suspect in a recent residential burglary on Sagebrush Flats Road Northwest.

Kiona, a convicted felon, allegedly was found with a loaded firearm in the back seat of his vehicle, along with items potentially taken from the Sagebrush Flats residence, the Sheriff’s office said.

The Sheriff’s Office was notified at around 1:50 p.m. Sunday of the burglary. A preliminary list of missing items was made, and fingerprints and photographic evidence were taken.

The home occupant said there was an animal camera positioned on the property pointed toward the driveway. The camera card was examined and showed a dark-colored vehicle with a clear image of the license plate, along with a suspect, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The license plate was traced to a registered owner who said he sold the vehicle approximately four months earlier. The owner no longer had the suspect's contact information, but he did identify the suspect from the animal camera image as the same man who purchased his car.

At around 6:10 p.m., the owner contacted the Sheriff’s Office to say the suspect had come to his home asking for a vehicle bill of sale.

The suspect was apprehended shortly afterward on state Highway 28.

“This was a good catch,” Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said. “Between the animal camera and the quick-thinking former car owner, we were able to identify and get this suspect off the street within hours of the burglary.”